


Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover

by buckyscrystalqueen



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 08:22:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16869496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckyscrystalqueen/pseuds/buckyscrystalqueen





	Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover

Silent tears fell from your eyes as you watched the security footage from December 16th, 1991. It was like a train wreck you didn’t want to look away from. A soft, squeaked gasp left your lips as you watched the Winter Soldier murder your father; your mom’s cries partially covering the crunch of his bones. The sound of your mother choking to death ripped through your heart.

“Play it again.” You said softly as the Winter Soldier grabbed the briefcase he had come for and drove off. Tony didn’t take his eyes off your 1 month old baby girl as he reached back and played the video again for you. You were only 8 when you lost your parents, 13 years younger than the only family member you had left after their mysterious deaths. You were raised by a nanny as Tony could barely take care of himself at that time. But unlike Tony, you sought help and by your early twenties, you had come to accept what had happened. Despite being heartbreaking, this just closed the last door for you.

“So this is the man that was the Winter Soldier?” You asked as you flipped the screen you were looking at over to live feed of the the jail cell like bedroom Bucky Barnes was in. You tapped the screen with your acrylic nail as you used your foot to push your sleeping newborn daughter back and forth in her stroller. Your older brother turned around and nodded.

“That would be the bastard.” Tony spat as he grabbed a chair and sat down next to you. You nodded as you studied the man. He was sitting in the middle of the bed, starring at the wall in front of him. He looked so lost and despite what you just saw him do, your heart broke for him.

“I though you said they cured him.” Tony rolled his eyes as you glanced over at him.

“Once a monster, always a monster.” You looked back at the live feed and shook your head.

“Tony, that’s not the same man...” You started.

“Oh, not you too.” You looked back at Tony as he got up from the chair angrily. “He killed mom!” You shushed him as you glanced at baby Brenna.

“Tony, you just told me they cured him because he was brainwashed. Would you say the same thing to Bruce after one of his Hulk fits?”

“(Y/N), this is totally different…” Tony said as he pointed at the screen to make a point but you interrupted before he could continue.

“Have you even tried to get to know him? Or are you condemning him before…”

“He killed mom!” You stood up quickly and pointed at the screen.

“This man didn’t kill mom! Reverse the situation and put Banner in his place. If Banner Hulked out and killed mom and dad and came back after as our Bruce, would you blame him? It’s the same Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde theory here, Tony…”

“You grew up without a mother because of that monster and you’re asking me to, what? Invite him to Thanksgiving dinner?”

“I’m asking you to get to know the person that was tortured…”

“That’s not happening, (Y/N).” He said as he crossed his arms over his chest. Knowing how stubborn your brother could be, you nodded and grabbed your phone off the desk.

“I’m not having this fight with you, T. I have bigger things to deal with.” You quickly tapped into the compound’s computer system and put in your own little hack to shut him out of the system for five minutes so you could get yourself and Bucky out before you locked the compound down. You looked up at your brother just before you enacted the hack and pointed at the monitor. 

“I’ll be taking him with me” You said as you shut Tony out and unlocked the door to Bucky’s room. “Someone needs to give that man a chance.” Your brother shouted your name as you stepped through the door of his office and locked him in. You ran through the compound, pushing the stroller in front of you as you fought to keep Tony from overriding you. He may be smarter than you when it comes to science, but you were a better hacker in the long run. You knocked quickly and threw open the door to the room.

“Bucky Barnes?” The broken man looked up at you and nodded. You smiled at him and called him toward you with your finger. “(Y/N) Stark. You have about three minutes to come with me. I’m breaking you out of here.” The man leapt up off the bed and grabbed his jacket.

“Is Tony gunna be mad?” He asked as you both dashed through compound toward the front door behind your stroller. You laughed and nodded.

“Oh yea. But I’ll get the little sister forgiveness sooner or later.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Welcome home, Miss Stark. Mr. Stark has been attempting…”

“Yea, I know. Call him back, FRIDAY.” You called out over your daughters crying as you lead Bucky into your house. “Honey, there is a pink blanket on the rocker in that room. Can you grab it for me?” You asked as you pointed into the nursery on your way past. You kept walking toward the living room to get to your laptop and the phone as fast as you could.

“(Y/N)!” Tony roared from your phone in your living room. “The hell do you think you’re doing?!” You smirked to yourself as you dipped around the couch and set your car seat down on the coffee table.

“I think I’m trying to feed my daughter, Tony. I assume that’s what you’re supposed to do when they cry.” You remarked sarcastically as you picked Brenna up out of the car seat.

“Let me out of my room!” Tony screamed as Bucky handed you the blanket with a laugh. You shushed him as you threw it over yourself as a cover.

“Are you gunna try to come here to capture Bucky?” You asked, stalling for time so you could lock your house down before you let Tony out.

“You bet your ass I am! I don’t want him out of the compound, and I absolutely don’t want him around the only family I have left!” You made sure your daughter was latched on before you snapped at Bucky and gestured him toward you.

“Well, as a grown woman, I’m pretty sure I can make the call on who I associate with.” You said as you had Bucky stand with his back to your front door. You gestured for him to stay there as you continued. “And I am the only person that has a say on who can and cannot be around my daughter.”

“You don’t even know him!” Tony screamed as you ran a scan to catalog Bucky into your security system. This way, when you locked down, your house wouldn’t think he was an intruder that made it past your steel doors and lock you down in whatever room you were in if he moved around. The only way you’d be able to get out then was if Tony showed up.

“And locking him in a cage is the best way for anyone to get to know him.” You said as the scan finished. You walked back around your couch and pulled back a picture by the front door, revealing a hand scanner and retina scanner. “Tony, you and I both know…”

“I am in charge here!” Tony shouted as you reached over, grabbed Bucky’s hand, pulled him toward you and laid his palm flat on the scanner. “I’m the Avenger. I’m the one who knows the truth behind what that monster is capable of.”

“And you’re being narrow minded about it.” You said as you scanned the first hand and gestured for the metal one. “Look, what’s done is done. He’s gunna stay with me for a bit until you can cool down. Then he can come back to the compound and you can work out your issues.” You stood on your tiptoes as you pointed at the scanner. “Don’t blink.” You whispered to Bucky as you gestured his eyes toward the camera.

“(Y/N). Let me out of my compound and then we will talk about this.” You glanced back at your laptop screen and smiled at the green light that told you Bucky was added to your security program.

“If I let you out, are you gunna try to come get him?” You asked, knowing full well Tony was going to lie to you.

“No.” You nodded as you tapped Bucky and pointed to the chair by the fireplace.

“So you’re not gunna jump into a suit and fly here as fast as you can?” You asked as you sat down on the couch and glanced at your daughter under the blanket to make sure she was still latched on.

“Damn it, (Y/N)!” You smirked as you hit a couple keys and started the lock down of your house.

“Fine, you win. I’ll let you out.” You said as you looked up at the window of your living room. “But I can tell you now, I’m on internal lock down so…” Tony started shouting obscenities as the missile proof steel doors slid into place; encompassing your house from the ground to the roof in impenetrable steel. You hit a couple more keys as Tony continued to yell at you. 

“OK, you’re free! Bye Tony.” You said as you reached over and hung up your phone. “FRIDAY, please ignore all incoming communications from Tony for the rest of the day.” You sat back in your spot with a victorious smile at the same time that Brenna stopped eating. “So, welcome to a little more freedom. Sorry I had to move you from one cage to another but I promise, this is only temporary.” Bucky looked over at you as you leaned back against the couch and laid Brenna across your chest.

“Is her dad going to be mad I’m here?” He gestured to your daughter and you shook your head.

“She doesn’t have one. Long story short, ever since Tony became Iron Man, I have almost lost him a dozen times. He’s the only family I have and the idea of being alone was just overwhelming. So I did the whole sperm donor thing. Took a few years but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” Bucky nodded and you looked down at your pride and joy with a smile as she spit up on the blanket with a small burp. You wiped her mouth and wrapped her in a clean blanket from your diaper bag.

“How old were you?” Bucky asked softly. You looked up at him and gave him a small smile. You knew what he wanted to know and you knew it would tear through him to hear the answer.

“I was eight.” Just like you expected, the news hit him hard. He let out an audible choked gasp and you shook your head. “Don’t. I know it wasn’t you. I wouldn’t have locked you in my house with my one month old daughter if I thought it was. I won’t tell you not to beat yourself up for it because I can already tell you are going to but move past it. 

You are not that… thing any more. Now, you just have to figure out who you are. I believe you are gunna have a better chance of doing that here over at the compound especially if you are around something positive that came out of a tragedy the Winter Soldier caused.” You got up from the couch and walked over to Bucky with a smile as you shifted your daughter in your arms.

“If brainwashed you hadn’t killed my parents, essentially I wouldn’t have had Brenna.” You said softly as you moved his metal arm into a cradle and laid Brenna down in it despite his attempts to protest. You took a step back and handed him the spit up blanket with a smile. “You got it. She’ll sleep until she poops and then she’ll sleep again once she’s changed until she’s hungry again. Circle of life for a baby. I planned on making sandwiches for lunch, that OK?” You could see tears rolling down his cheeks as he nodded his head. He brushed his fingertip across her cheek as he sat back in the chair; his eyes glued to the little girl. For the first time in seventy years, Bucky didn’t see his metal arm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sorry about all the bells and whistles, Steve.” You said as you guided your guest into your house. “Keeping Bucky away from my brother is proving to be tricky.”

“Yea, I can see that.” Steve said with a laugh as he glanced into your living room. “Where is…?”

“It’s nap time.” You said as you gestured for him to follow you. You both walked quietly down the hall to the guest bedroom and paused in the doorway. Bucky was laying at an angle across the bed with Brenna tucked protectively against his chest behind his metal arm. Even though neither you nor Steve made a sound and you were at least 30 feet away from the bed in the massive bedroom, Bucky’s eyes flew open when you stopped in the door way. His metal arm shifted on the bed as a protective shield as he took a moment to figure out who was walking into the bedroom before he relaxed.

“She’s his saving grace.” You said softly as Bucky glanced down at Brenna while he slowly sat up to make sure he didn’t wake her up. He made sure he was completely up right before grabbing a swaddling blanket to move her into the nursery. “He’s been here three weeks and I don’t think she has left his sight once.”

“He was like that with his little sister, too.” Steve said as Bucky tucked Brenna into a swaddle like you had taught him and picked her up. Your daughter fussed a little bit at being moved as Bucky laid her on his shoulder but she settled down instantly when he started to sing softly to her. You smiled as he came over and nodded to his friend. 

“Well there’s something you don’t see every day.” Steve teased as you moved past him to head out to the living room.

“What?” Bucky asked as he pointed Steve into the nursery. Steve laughed as you went back out to your living room to go back to work; Stark Industries wasn’t running itself with Pepper on a long ‘temporary’ leave and you in hiding. You caught the rest of the conversation on the baby monitor on the side table.

“You with a baby. I gotta tell ya, I never thought I’d see the day.” Bucky laughed over the soft creek of your changing table.

“Shut up, punk.” Bucky said to his friend as he changed Brenna. You smiled to yourself as you partially tuned out their conversation. 

“So what are you doin’, Buck? You gunna come back to the compound soon? We can start training together again; maybe I can show you a thing or two this time around.” Steve teased.

“I don’t know, Steve. Being here… it just makes sense to me right now. Did you know, (Y/N) said this baby wouldn’t be around if it wasn’t for me killing her parents? Wait, not me, the Winter Soldier; my therapist says I have to separate the two. (Y/N) showed me that this is something good that came out of my torment. And she’s been helping me with all the shit swimming in my brain, I talk to my therapist once a day and (Y/N) is… man, Steve, she is amazing. She’s smart and kind and beautiful. She was right, I’m better trying to find myself here than in whatever jail cell Tony has me in.” You stopped working and sat back a bit on the couch with a small smile on your face as Steve hummed in response.

“Well I’m glad you’re making a progress. I stand beside you one way or another. I just don’t think Tony’s going to be OK with you claiming this as your home…”

“It’s not his choice.” You called out as Bucky and Steve walked out of the nursery. You turned around on the couch to look at them and pointed at the baby monitor as you continued. “This is my house. Like I told my brother, I make the decisions on who lives here and I make the call on who is around my daughter. Yes, I listen to him sometimes but I’m way more level headed than he is. If Bucky wants to stay, he stays. He’s been told what to do for years. It’s his chance to make his own choices. Not Tony’s.” Bucky pointed at you in agreement as he sat down in his chair by the fireplace and laid Brenna on his chest.

“Hey, I’m not telling him what to do. I learned as a kid you couldn’t tell that man what to do.” You giggled as you settled into your spot on the couch and crossed your legs.

“Well, while I didn’t know him back then, I can tell you now. I tried to tell him he didn’t have to carry that baby around all the time. That lasted about two hours before he picked her up again. I just gave up on tellin’ him.” You smiled over at Bucky who flushed red and looked down at Brenna to hide his face behind his long hair. “I will have to say though, I love my kid but having him around is a Godsend when I’m working. I used to find myself jumping up at every little noise she made but now, I hardly notice I have a kid unless she wants to be fed.” Steve nodded as he looked over at his friend. Bucky was once again watching Brenna sleep as he lightly brushed his fingertips up and down her back.

“It’s just been a long time since I have seen something so perfect.” Bucky said softly as he brushed his fingers across her soft brown hair with a smile.

~~~~~~ 5 YEARS LATER ~~~~~~~

“Uncle Tony!” You smiled at your little girl as she ran toward your brother with her arms wide open. Tony stopped in your living room and feigned a look of shock as he looked at his niece in her Cinderella dress. You had to wonder how a kid could have so much energy at 4 am.

“Who is this little princess? Surely it’s not my little Brenna!” Tony bent down and stuck his arms out at the same time that your 4 year old daughter launched herself into his arms with a squeal. “God, when did she get so big?” He asked as he glanced over at you with a smile. You laughed as you set your backpack down in the living room.

“You saw her last week.” You teased as you gave your brother a hug. “So are you ready for Disney?” Your daughter cheered right in Tony’s ear and he cringed.

“Not at all.” Tony laughed. He glanced over at the sound of a suitcase hitting the doorframe of your bedroom.

“Jesus baby doll, what did you pack?” Bucky asked as he held up your 50 pound suitcase like it was a feather and looked at it. You shrugged as he looked over at you.

“Not enough shoes.” He rolled his eyes as he looked over at your older brother. 

“Hey, Tony. How are y…”

“Bucky.” Tony spat as he turned his back on your husband and put Brenna on the floor. “Let’s go get your bag, princess.” Your daughter ran down the hall to her room with a laugh and you whacked your brother’s arm hard as he passed.

“Not this week. It’s your niece’s birthday.” You hissed as you looked at him. He simply rolled his eyes and headed toward your daughters room. You sighed and looked over at Bucky with a weak smile. “You know he’s stubborn.” You said as he grabbed your backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

“It’s been five years.” He said as he looked at you. You nodded as you wrapped your arms around his waist.

“Yea, but he doesn’t see the man that I do.” He sighed and rested his forehead against your.

“Keep me sane this week, OK?” You nodded as he gave you a chaste kiss.

“So are we ready to go to Disney?” Steve asked as he walked into your house with a sleepy smile. You smiled as you pulled away from Bucky and looked at him.

“Ask the birthday girl. We haven’t heard anything but Disney since someone gave away the surprise.” You called out at your brother as he came down the hall with Brenna’s bag in one hand and your daughter held upside down in the other. He looked at you with mock innocence and shrugged.

“I don’t do secrets well, you know that.” You rolled your eyes as you grabbed your purse and your park bag off the couch.

“You’re such a pain in my fucking ass.” You told him as you followed Bucky out the front door to the Quinjet.

“Ooo! Daddy, mommy said a bad word!” Brenna called out between her giggles as Tony followed after you. Steve grabbed her from Tony and swung her up onto his shoulders.

“That’s a quarter word, mommy.” Bucky said as he headed up the ramp.

“Mommy put ten dollars in at the beginning of the week.” You said as you dropped your bags behind the netting on the side.

“What word did you say?” Nat called out from the pilot seat. You looked at her with mock annoyance as you pulled out the net to help Bucky and Tony put the suitcases behind it.

“The F word.” You told her with a roll of your eyes. She nodded as she turned back to the dash and closed the ramp.

“Yea, that one gets me too.”

“I’m gunna fly with Auntie Nat.” Brenna said as she tried to wiggle out of the seat Steve was putting her in.

“Is that how we ask?” Bucky asked as he grabbed a seat and looked at his daughter. She sighed, ever the drama queen and looked at Natasha.

“Please?” Nat said yes with a laugh as you grabbed a seat next to Bucky.

“Such attitude, missy.” You said as your daughter ran up to sit on Natasha’s lap. Tony laughed as he grabbed a seat on your other side.

“She’s a Stark. Of course she’s gunna have an attitude.” You nodded in agreement as Steve took a seat in the co-pilot seat and Brenna and Nat lifted the Quinjet into the air to head to Orlando, Florida.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The castle!” Brenna screeched as she jumped up and down between Steve and Bucky, her little hands held in theirs. “Daddy, look!” She giggled as the six of you headed down empty Main Street for breakfast before the park opened.

“I see it, princess. That’s where we are having breakfast.” Brenna dead stopped in the road and looked up at him with her blue eyes wide in shock.

“Like a real princess?” He nodded as he picked her up and put her on his shoulders with a smile.

“Just like a real princess.” She cheered; throwing her hands up in the air as her long, light brown hair fell down her back. The moment was captured forever with the simple click of your camera.

“You did good, kid.” Tony said softly as you took another picture of Nat and Steve walking hand in hand with the castle in the background of the picture.

“I couldn’t have done it without you. All of you.” You glanced over at your brother. He sighed as he draped his arm over your shoulder.

“How am I supposed to just pretend I’m OK with this?” He asked after a moment as he pointed at Bucky’s back. Your husband had switched from carrying his daughter on his shoulders to playing an impromptu game of hide and seek around a short Indian statue. You shrugged as you took a picture as Natasha snuck up and tagged Bucky before darting off and grabbing Brenna’s hand so the pair could go ‘hide’. 

“You have to give him a chance, Tony. I’ve been telling you that for years. See that he’s not the monster you keep telling yourself he is.” You pointed at Bucky as he pretended to look for the girls with Steve. You smiled and took another picture of them and the girls where they were hiding behind a tree. “Does that look like the same man that killed mom?” Tony sighed as he watched the two men jump onto the curb and tickle the girls, causing them to scream laughter and run off again.

“I just can’t get that video out of my head when I look at him.” He said as the two of you watched Brenna look for her daddy and Uncle Steve behind a trash can. You took one more photo of the surprised look on your baby girl’s face when Bucky popped out at her before looking at Tony.

“That, big brother, is something I can’t help you with. But you need to let this hate go. It’s over, Tony. Talk to Bruce. Or I’ll give you the name of my therapist…” Tony scoffed as Brenna came running over and hid between your and Tony’s legs.

“Don’t tell Uncle Steve I’m here.” She said as she held on to one of each of your legs as you walked down the road. You paused and looked down at her with a big smile.

“Brenna, why don’t you want me to tell Uncle Steve you’re hiding behind mommy?” Steve came out of no where and grabbed Brenna.

“I got the princess!” He shouted as he tossed her up in the air. She squealed with laughter as he caught her in his arms. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before putting her back on the ground. “Come on, you two. We gotta find Auntie Nat before breakfast and you guys are slacking.”

“And daddy, too!” Brenna said as she took off to find the other two people in your party with a laugh with Steve’s fingers clutched tightly in her hand. You looked over at your brother and laced your arm with his.

“Just let it go for this week. We’re here for Brenna.” He nodded as the two of you watched Steve and Brenna find Bucky. You saw Nat’s red hair out of the corner of your eye and a smile spread across your face. “Come on.” You grabbed Tony’s arm and pulled him off toward Nat to keep up the little game of hide and seek in the last few minutes before your breakfast reservation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Daddy…” You looked down at your daughter and could tell just by the look on her face and the tone of her voice that she was about to have a melt down. You couldn’t blame her; you had been at the park all morning and she was ready for a nap. “… I wanna get on the ride!” You smirked as Brenna dissolved into tears in the middle of the line for the Little Mermaid. Bucky instantly picked her up and propped her on his hip.

“Princess, we have to wait our turn like everyone else.” He said softly as he looked at you for direction you never gave. It was only the three of you from your party in the Fast Pass line at the moment; the other members of your group had opted to ride the Snow White Mine Train instead of Little Mermaid for the third time that day. “We’re almost there.”

“But I wanna go now!” She sobbed as she bashed her face on his shoulder dramatically. He smiled as he brushed his metal fingers through her hair.

“Brenna, I would love to let you go now but we have to wait. We have to be fair to everyone else who wants a turn, too.”

“Nu uh!” She cried; her voice muffled by his shoulder and her sobs. You looked up at your husband as the two of you moved up a little more in the line.

“It’s nap time.” You said with a laugh and he nodded in agreement. Brenna wailed even louder at the word ‘nap’ and Bucky turned his head toward her ear.

“Brenna, cry with your eyes, not your mouth.” He told her as you moved up a bit more in line. “You know you don’t get your way faster when you cry like that.” She buried her face in his shoulder and cried harder, but the sound was now almost minimal. “You know, with all that crying you’re doing, your missing how close we are to the front.” Brenna didn’t stop crying as she turned her head to look at the front of the line as you walked up a little more. She moved her face back into his shoulder as her crying turned to simple sniffles. “You gotta stop crying if you wanna get on the ride. You don’t wanna scare off the fishes.” She nodded her head in agreement but didn’t move her face.

“Man, I gotta know how you do that.” The man standing behind you in line said. You and Bucky both turned and looked at him as he looked down at his son that was about the same age as Brenna. By the look on the boys face, he was at the same point of the day that Brenna was.

“He’s the baby whisperer.” You said as you continued up in line. “I can say the exact same thing to her and she wants none of it. She’s just daddy's little girl.”

“Can I trade you husbands?” The woman joked. You laughed and shook your head.

“Even if I agreed to it, you’d have to fight our daughter for her daddy. He’s all hers.” The woman nodded in understanding as you finally moved to the front of the line.

“You have a beautiful family.” With a smile and a thank you, you were shuffled into one of the clam shells for the ride. Bucky slid in first and sat Brenna down next to him and by the time you slid in next to them, your daughter had fallen asleep against his side.

“So you would trade me for another husband?” Bucky teased as he twisted a little so Brenna could sleep more on his stomach and not his ribs. You smirked as you reached over and laced your fingers with his metal fingers.

“I would never, ever consider giving you up.” He smiled as he pulled your hand over and kissed your fingers. He tilted his head a bit and pointed at Brenna.

“Think you’d wanna do this again?”

“What? Ride Little Mermaid with our sleeping daughter?” His face dead panned as he gave your hand a little squeeze. You giggled and nodded. “Have another baby with you? Absolutely.” His face lit up instantly.

“Really?” You nodded again as you played with his fingers.

“Of course. You’re an amazing father, Bucky. If you wanna have another baby, I’m on board.” His smile got impossibly bigger as he kissed your fingers again.

“I love you.” He said as he continued to kiss your fingers since he couldn’t get to your lips at the moment.

“I love you, too.” You reached your finger up and brushed it along his nose as you tilted your head to the side. “You’re not carrying this one around the house with you all the time, you hear me?” You joked. Bucky bit your finger gently and growled in response.

“You can’t tell me what to do.” He said as he let go of your hand at the end of the ride. You hummed and nodded as you pointed to Brenna.

“Carry her back to the hotel for me.” He rolled his eyes as he picked up his baby girl and exited the ride after you.

“OK, so you can’t always tell me what to do.” He said as he leaned over and gave you a kiss. You laced your fingers with his and headed out of the ride to find Tony, Steve and Nat for a mid-day break.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“Where’s Bucky?” Steve asked as you walked out onto the private deck of your bungalow at the Polynesian resort. You pointed over your shoulder with your thumb as you closed the back door behind you.

“Making sure Brenna is comfortable. I know that man loves me but I swear, he loves her more.” You joked as you walked down the stairs into the plunge pool with Nat and Steve. Your brow furrowed. “Where’s Tony?” The words had barely left your mouth when Tony in his Iron Man suit landed on the deck behind you.

“What did I miss?” You looked over at your brother as he stepped out of the suit in his bathing suit like it was no big deal and rolled your eyes.

“Really? The suit?” He shrugged as he walked into the pool as Bucky walked out onto the deck from the living room. 

“Didn’t wanna walk all the way over here.” Tony said as he propped his arms on the wall behind him in the corner of the pool.

“It’s like, right there!” Nat said as she pointed toward the main hotel.

“That’s is what you get for refusing to stay here with us.” You said as you sat down on Bucky’s lap on the stairs of the little pool next to Steve and Natasha on the bench seat.

“Yea, well I’m not sleeping on a sofa bed.” Tony said as he hit a few buttons on his watch and collapsed the suit to the size of a suitcase. You shook your head as you grabbed two of the drinks Nat had made and lined up on the side of the pool and handed one to your husband.

“So, um… did you get the castle room settled for tomorrow night?” Bucky asked tentatively. You looked at your brother with your eyebrows raised, knowing he wanted to ignore Bucky’s existence like he usually did. Tony sighed and looked over at Bucky.

“Yes, the castle has been confirmed.” He kept eye contact with Bucky for a moment before looking over at Nat and Steve. “I love how I make the donation and I don’t even get a chance to stay in the room.” 

“Because you totally wanna spend the night in Cinderella castle.” You said sarcastically as you squeezed Bucky’s hand under the water. Getting a reaction from Tony at all was progress for Bucky. Usually, you had to whack your brother or re-ask the question for him to get an answer.

“I mean, who wouldn’t?” Nat said as she looked over at you. She and Steve gave you the same knowing look as Tony grabbed the last drink off the side of the pool.

“Even I wanna see the room.” Steve said as he looked over his shoulder at the castle in the distance. “But then again, this entire park blows my mind. It’s amazing how much I missed in the ice.” He said as he absentmindedly dragged his fingers across Natasha’s stomach.

“I second that.” Bucky agreed. “I have to admit, having a kid is great when it comes to a 102 year old coming to Disney World. I don’t think I would have enjoyed this as much without ours.” Steve verbally agreed as Tony rolled his eyes.

“She’s not your kid.” He said, partially under his breath, without thinking.

“Tony!” Nat shouted. In the blink of an eye, you reached out an slapped your brother across the face. He looked at you indignantly and you simply stared at him in shock. You shook your head as tears welled in your eyes.

“How dare you. He is absolutely her father and she is his daughter. You know good and well he adopted her the day he signed our marriage license. I’m sorry you can’t seem to get your fucking head out of your ass to see that. But if you can’t even be civil, I don’t want you here or near my family again. It’s been five fucking years, Tony. Five. Get over it already because I’m done. I’m absolutely done.” You stood up off Bucky’s lap and took his hand as you got out of the pool. You wiped the tears off your cheeks as you headed toward the door, but you paused and looked back at your brother.

“Just so you know. If it hadn’t been for you, he would have been her biological father, too. And yea, we do plan on having more. I was basically alone my entire life; that’s why I had Brenna. If you have such a problem with the decisions I make with my life and our daughters life, maybe you should have been around to raise me instead of letting a fucking nanny do it. He stepped up to be a father when he didn’t have to and he knocked it out of the park. When I needed a parent, the only family I had left me with a nanny because drinking and pussy were more important to you. You’re the last person to say who is and isn’t a father.” You pulled open the door to the bungalow at the same time Brenna sleepily walked out of the bedroom.

“Mommy, why are you yelling?” You shook your head as you walked over and picked up your baby girl.

“I’m sorry, honey. Mommy just got a little mad.”

“How about we watch a movie before we go to dinner with Auntie Nat and Uncle Steve?” Bucky said as he closed the bedroom door behind the three of you; effectively drowning out the shouts of the three people out on the deck still in the pool. Brenna nodded as you set her on the bed while Bucky grabbed two towels.

“Mermaid?” Brenna asked softly as she laid down on the pillows, still waking up from her partial nap. You nodded as you pulled up the free movie listings and scrolled through to find her favorite. After a moment, Bucky reached over and took the remote from your shaking hands.

“Go take a shower.” He said softly with a gentle look as he turned on the movie. You looked up at him and dissolved into tears.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” You said as he pulled you into his chest. He told Brenna you’d both be right back as he walked you backwards out of the room and into the bathroom next door. He picked you up, stepped into the shower and turned on the water. You could feel him tense at the blast of cold water a second before the cold spray hit your legs.

“It’s not your fault, doll.” He said softly as he set you down in the shower. He kept one arm wrapped around you, holding you to his chest as the other fiddled with the water temperature. You nodded weakly as you held onto his waist. He took a half step to the side so you could get hit with the warm water as well as he wrapped his arms around your shoulders. With a heavy sigh and a few tears of his own, he rested his chin on the top of your head. You both just stood in the shower spray and forced yourselves to let the water spray wash away the pain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

You sat in the plunge pool late that night as Bucky tucked Brenna in for bed. You couldn't stop the ache in your chest at your brother's words. You knew Tony didn't like Bucky but to tell your husband of 4 years, the man that raised your baby girl that he wasn't a father? It was heartbreaking. You heard the door open behind you and you stood up and waited. Without a word, Bucky got into the pool, took a seat on the little bench and pulled you back on to his lap. 

“I feel like I’m losing part of my family.” You said softly as you pulled his arms around you. “But I can't keep doing this anymore.” Bucky nodded with his chin on your shoulder. 

“I love you, (Y/N), but the next time he tells me I’m not a father, I will kill him.” You nodded in understanding as he kissed your shoulder.

“I'm sorry, Bucky. I thought he could change.” Bucky shook his head as he rested his chin back on your shoulder.

“You don't have to be sorry, doll. It's not your fault your brother is an asshole.” You huffed a humorless laugh and nodded as you leaned your head against his. You sat there quietly for a while and stared at the castle in the distance as your fingers dragged up and down the metal ridges of Bucky’s arm.

“What am I supposed to do here?” You asked. Bucky shook his head as his arms tightened just the slightest bit around you.

“You don’t want my answer.” Your brow furrowed as you moved in his lap to look at him. With a deep sighed, knowing you weren’t gunna drop this, he put his hands on your hips and spun you around so you were straddling his lap. “I can’t do this with him anymore. I’ve tried for five years, doll and I’m at the point where even seeing his face makes me want to kill him. He’s a monster on missions, he’s tried to get me killed a few times, and now he’s hurting my wife day in and day out… I can’t take it anymore. 

I’ve been civil for you, but for him to continually attack my fatherhood.” He shook his head and licked his lips. “I love you, (Y/N) but I don’t want him near my girls anymore. Because next time he says some of the things he’s been saying to you or me…” His sentence trailed off and you nodded, knowing exactly where he was going. Tears stung your eyes as you wrapped your arms around his neck and buried your face in his neck. He held you close as you cried.

“Why does he have to be such an asshole?” You sobbed. Bucky shook his head and hugged you tighter.

“I wish I could give you an answer, doll. I really do.” You tightened your arms around his neck, so grateful that you had him in your life. “Hey, how about after Disney, we go on a long vacation. Pepper can handle the company without you and Brenna’s not supposed to start kindergarten until September so we have like 8 months.” You nodded in agreement as you sat back and looked at him. He gave you a weak smile as he brushed away your tears with his thumbs.

“You and Brenna are the best things that have ever happened to me.” You said softly as you ran your fingers through his hair. He smiled as you moved your hands to his scruffy jaws.

“I could say the same thing about you two as well.” He moved his hands forward on your hips and brushed his thumbs across your stomach. “Maybe our saving grace right now could be number two?” You laughed and nodded as you put one of your hands on his and moved it to the middle of your stomach.

“What do you think, boy or girl?” He shrugged as he rubbed his hand against your flat stomach.

“Another girl. I’d be the luckiest man in the world with three girls.”

“That’s a lot of boyfriends to be scaring off.” You teased with a smile. Bucky lifted his arms out of the water and looked between the massive muscle on his right and his metal left arm. He looked back at you with a laugh and shook his head.

“I don’t think I’ll have a problem there.”

“Lookin’ a little flabby there, baby.” You joked as you poked at his arm with a smile. He tickled your sides and you yelped. He wrapped his arms around you to keep you to him as he continued to tickle you.

“Flabby? Did you just call me flabby?” He asked as he flexed his muscles around you. You laughed and poked at the back of his hips.

“Look at these love handles!”

“You’re so mean.” He said as he grabbed hold of your hips and pretended to move you away. You quickly wrapped your arms and legs around him.

“No!” You whined as he scooted forward on the bench seat to give your legs a little more room. “I don’t care if you’re fit or flabby, I still love you.” He grabbed your hips and pulled them forward toward him.

“Good. Because you’re stuck with me. No matter what happens.” You nodded as you leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss.

“Thank God for that.” You said softly against his lips.


End file.
